My Life As A Virtual Assistant – A Personal Post

Today's guest post is by road warrior and virtual assistant Jimena Castrejon (or JC as we like to call her), currently working with us at Canadian Virtual Gurus. JC shares her experience working as a virtual assistant. You can reach her at jimena@thevirtualgurus.com.

Ever since I was a child my dream has been to travel the world.

I’m proud to say that I’ve had my share of traveling: Mexico, the US, Canada and I’ve even crossed the Atlantic to get to Europe!

When you’re a nomad like me, you get “the itch”. I’ve never lived more than 3 years in the same house. When my life starts getting too normal and too quiet, my mind starts to wander, looking for signals such as people telling me about the amazing places they’ve been to. Then, here it comes… “the itch”. A voice inside of my head that starts whispering: “oh man, you gotta go”, “gotta see this place”. That’s when I know I must spread my wings and hit the road!

For me, traveling is my version of chicken soup for the soul. Learning the culture of a new place and meeting the people is priceless. But, (there is always a but), the cost of moving around and being a free spirit means I don’t always stay put in a job for a long time.

If you look at my resume – with the job changes every couple of years or so, it may look like I’m a job hopper. We all know that doesn’t always make for great job searches! But it doesn’t mean I don’t have the ability or that I am irresponsible. On the contrary, I think I’ve broadened my knowledge of culture and many other subjects from being a world traveler.

Besides the resume, as much as I love being a digital nomad, it can be tough to grow professionally. Financially, it can be hard, too, in countries where work visas are hard to get.

A couple years ago I became a mom and I had to stop traveling. Now, in a normal job, I had a hard time leaving my beautiful baby with strangers. I was working either crazy hours or part-time hours for way less money. I wasn’t happy with my hours or my wages. That’s when I thought, “Is this it? If I ever take another trip it’ll be when I’m 80 and hopefully, I can still walk!” Things weren’t exactly looking up for me at that time.

That’s when the virtual assistant position came up as a complete surprise. I was chatting with one of my former co-workers and told him I was looking for a job. He sent me an email and said, “This is the perfect job for you, you should send your resume right now and try this!”

Two hours later I got a call asking me to come in for an interview the next day. By the end of the day, I had already been assigned my first client and I was working. My new boss had bright red hair, she was a mom like me, and she looked happy as a clam.

Score! I had found the perfect job to match my lifestyle. Being a virtual assistant has changed my life and given me the opportunity to do what I love, spend time with my loved ones and most of all, my baby! This job presents me with constant challenges and I find that exciting. I can use my skills and never get bored. I am constantly learning so I can keep up with technology and new trends. The world of technology and virtual work moves lightning fast!

Each new client has different needs and I really enjoy helping people. I feel like what I do matters for my clients and myself. Every day when I close my computer I have this great feeling of accomplishment that leaves a silly smile on my face.

People think that working from home means you get to be lazy. That’s not true and this job is not for everyone. You need to be organized, versatile and professional. If you plan on working in your undies in your bed, you are not going to succeed. Professional virtual assistants create a designated working space and a routine. That’s one of the biggest challenges I’ve faced; how to separate my personal life and space from my “workspace”.

Like any career, in the beginning, it’s all uphill. It’s very important to create a plan to succeed and make yourself better and stronger every day. I love where I’m at now, but it’s been a process. The payoff is, I continue to receive great satisfaction and value from my work.

The best thing about working as a virtual assistant? I´ve taken quite a few vacations with friends and family! The nomad in me still lives!

Let Us Help!

Virtual Gurus offers virtual assistant support packages that work for your business. Need a skilled professional to tackle that email inbox? We offer competitive pricing packages and excellent administrative support. Contact us today for a hassle-free consultation.

Wonderful story. So happy for Jimena. This is what I am looking for. After more than 10 years in administration, marketing and business development, I am ready to work for myself and help people to grow their business. Thank you.

About Virtual Gurus

Virtual Gurus (VG) has jumped into the Gig Economy by providing businesses
access to thousands of Canadian Virtual Assistants.

Our processes and systems provide a platform to ensure tasks are completed while supporting the clients’ business needs.

Virtual Gurus is developing Canada’s first Virtual Assistant Marketplace which will allow users to be able to access profiles with star ratings, as well as choose their own pre-vetted Virtual Assistant based on their unique requirements from skillset, communication style to industry experience.

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